Peace and Welcome! This blog is intended to be a manifestation of my thoughts and reflections on articles or topics I find inspiring. All of this, God willing, is formed with a pure intention to be a part of the Quest for the Divine...Sisters and Brothers, let's blog on!

Bismillah!

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Beauty of Hijab!

The pea is a splendid plant. It proudly displays its strong green Hijab. It protects it from the hot and cold weather and guards it from insects. Allah has blessed the pea with a special Hijab, because without it, the seeds would scatter, dry up and die.

The orange keeps itself within its shiny orange Hijab to protect its delicious fruit. Otherwise it-looses its taste too.

So are the banana, the coconut and the pomegranate. Each one has an elegant and unique Hijab, which protects it from disease and destruction.

The jewel of the sea, the pearl, has been given a very tough and rugged Hijab - oyster shell. It protects it from sea animals and keeps it sparkling and shining inside.

However, the most beloved of Allah in all His creation is the Muslim girl who wears the Hijab. She knows it is a gift from Allah. It protects her from harm, injury and mischief. She wears it knowing it gives her dignity, beauty and respect. So precious she can be that she hides herself beneath her Hijab.

"Allah does not look at your body and face; rather he looks at your heart" [at-tirmidhi]

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty......And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms...." (Qur'an 24:30-31)

"The world is prison for the believer and paradise for the disbeliever" [Muslim]

"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their bodies (when abroad) so that they should be known and not molested" (Qur'an 33:59).

About Me

Born and raised in Northern California, Shamira Chothia Ahmed is an emerging young female scholar of the traditional Islamic sciences. Her studies led her to seek sacred knowledge from scholars on three continents — Africa, Europe, and Asia. Upon receiving ijaazas (authorizations) to teach from renowned scholars in various Islamic disciplines, she was granted the opportunity to be an instructor of Hanafi fiqh for women at the Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California. Privately, she taught fiqh (jurisprudence), tajwid (cantillation) and Qur'anic tafsir (exegesis). Ustadha Shamira gives lectures across the U.S. to various female audiences.